So for my homework, we have to do some electron dot structures.
They're really easy, but I had to do one for Te, a transition metal. When I looked up how to do dot structures for transition metals, I saw people saying that you can't since they have different orbitals that aren't filled.
I also saw that there is one for Te, which had 6 dots.

What's the deal with this?
Can you do dot-structures for transition metals, and if so how?

Thanks for the help.

Bonding with transition metals can be drawn using Lewis dot structures. They do not follow the 8-electron or octet rule as most other elements.
Transition metals have valence bonding electrons in 3 orbitals vs 2. (in the s, p, and d orbital) The d-orbital can hold 10 electrons and follow an 18-electron rule (2-s, 6-p 10-d). This 18-electron counting rule works just as the octet rule does.

i believe you will just do one with 6 for Te. Personally, i have never seen one that i can recall for transition metals, which i think is due in part because of the d orbital.

This post was edited by cialda on Apr 8 2013 05:18pm

Yeah, I think there are just special cases where you can draw lewis dot with transition metals?

And I mean a dot structure of one element, not a compound.

well, when you get into the transition metals, you can start forming coordinating complexes which is where the d orbital comes into play. i suppose i have seen them for coordinating complexes, but never really the transition metal itself (at least that i can recall). it has been a few years though since i took a chemistry class where i would have had to do this.

also, it appears Te is a metalloid and not a transition metal

This post was edited by cialda on Apr 8 2013 05:27pm

Oh shit, lol.
I was looking at Tc on the table xD

Well that makes everything so much simpler.

Kinda weird that both would be 6 though.